Cardinals, Archbishops, and Bishops

On Friday night, while presiding at Stations of the Cross at the Co-Cathedral in Houston, Cardinal DiNardo suffered a mild stroke. He was promptly brought to the hospital, is resting comfortably, and is looking forward to getting back to work. I ask you to join the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston to pray for the recovery of Cardinal DiNardo.

While Cardinal DiNardo is likely to make full recovery, such a situation prompts questions about what would happen if he died; would he be replaced by another Cardinal or would it be an archbishop?

The ranking of Cardinal is appointed by the Pope, with the primary responsibility of electing the next Pope. According to the Code of Canon Law, there can only be 120 under the age of 80, who can vote. (This was set by St. Pope Paul VI in 1970). Therein, it’s important to point out that “Cardinal” is a an office in the Church, not a “rank” higher than bishop. The Sacrament of Holy Orders has three degrees: deacon, priest, and bishop. This means that Archbishops, Cardinals, and Popes are all bishops.

In Houston, Bishop George Scheltz is the auxiliary bishop. An auxiliary bishop is appointed to assist a diocesan bishop, meaning Bishop Scheltz is Cardinal DiNardo’s assistant. The role of auxiliary bishop is distinct from a coadjudtor bishop. “Unlike an auxiliary bishop, he has the right of succession, meaning that he automatically becomes the new bishop when the diocesan bishop retires or dies” (“How Bishops are Appointed,” USCCB). This means that Bishop Scheltz would not necessarily become the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston’s archbishop.

Whether it’s a diocese or archdiocese depends on the size of the metropolitan area. Whether one is a bishop or archbishop depends on where he is serving: bishops shepherd a diocese and archbishops shepherd an archdiocese. Since we’re an archdiocese, whoever would be our bishop would automatically become an archbishop.

One last note: unlike the government of a nation where immediate decision-making power is often expected, the same is not true for the Church. “It often takes six to eight months—and sometimes longer—from the time a diocese becomes vacant until a new bishop is appointed(“How Bishops are Appointed,” USCCB).

Do you have additional questions? Does this answer spark other questions? Let me know! Leave a comment and I’d be happy to answer!

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Read More Julie Dienno-Demarest Mar 18,2019

Article, Questions, Scripture

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Have You Ever Wondered: Why the Different Bibles?

Did you know that Catholics use a slightly different Bible than other Christian denominations? Have you ever wondered why?

Why the Differences?

A brief recap Jewish history to get some context:

Around 1280 BC, Moses led the Chosen people to the Promised Land
King David reigned around 1000 BC
In 721 BC the Northern Kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians
In 586 BC the Southern Kingdom of Judah fell to the Babylonians

As each kingdom fell, the Jews were exiled and scattered–or dispersed (“diaspora“)–around the region. In the Diaspora following the fall of the Southern Kingdom, many Jews settled in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, which was immersed in Greek language and culture. After about fifty years, the Persian Ruler, Cyrus the Great allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem, but a whole generation had been born and raised while living in foreign lands, many of whom chose to stay. As time passed and more Diaspora Jews spoke Greek, there was a desire to have a copy of the Jewish Sacred Scriptures translated into the Greek language.

Legend has it that 72 scholars set out to translate the Scriptures from Hebrew to Greek. The Greek word for seventy is “septuaginta,” which is why this translation is known as the Septuagint [sep-tue-ah-jint]. It was completed around 100 BC and was widely used by Jews outside of Jerusalem.

So then the New Testament came to be:

The life, ministry, parables, teachings, miracles, crucifixion, and Resurrection of Jesus happened around 30-33AD.
The Letters of Paul, Peter, James, John, and Jude were written to various Christian communities in the years that followed the Resurrection.
These Letters were so profoundly powerful that they got passed around from community to community while the stories of Jesus were told and retold orally.
Eventually the Gospels were written down and passed around as well.
Since most people spoke and wrote in Greek, the Gospels and Letters were also composed in Greek.

Although the New Testament itself was written in Greek, since Jesus and the Apostles lived and traveled in and around Jerusalem and Judea, they probably did not use the Septuagint when they read from scrolls. They probably used scrolls written in Hebrew and Aramaic. Which brings us to the next part of the story…

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Read More Julie Dienno-Demarest Oct 3,2014

Category : Questions

Cardinals, Archbishops, and Bishops

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Have You Ever Wondered: Why the Different Bibles?

Why the Differences?

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